


Tales of Evelyn Trevelyan: Beets

by insideofadog



Series: Dragon Age Nonsense [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Avvar Culture and Customs, Bog Unicorn, Gen, Oath-Bound Steed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:43:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5135060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insideofadog/pseuds/insideofadog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>More facts about Evelyn: She got the bog unicorn from the Mages’ Collective, but it’s probably Avvar in origin. Also an oath keeps it alive. For reals. Maybe.</p><p>Another quick Tumblr prompt, and a reminder that you can find me (and Evelyn's recipe for grilled eels) on Tumblr at insideofadoge.tumblr.com</p><p>I'm still plugging away at my current longfic, but progress is slow so I thought I'd share this to tide you over. As always, I love you all and you are very attractive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tales of Evelyn Trevelyan: Beets

The day after he arrived, I was alarmed to see Sky-Watcher standing outside of the paddock, looking at the bog unicorn. It was staring right back at him, but that might have been because sometimes its eyelids get dry. 

With the proper regimen, the bog unicorn’s rate of decay is decreased dramatically and it barely smells at all, but I cannot get Master Dennett (or anyone else, for that matter) to care for it while I am away. Often when I return from a mission, it is looking rather papery and sad, but it perks right up with a bath and a rub with some exorbitant Nevarran oils that Vivenne orders for me. She thinks I put them on my face, not a dead horse.

I really didn’t know much about how the Avvar would react to the creature, since I have noted that sometimes priests get upset about things that aren’t living anymore but are still moving around.

As I approached, he turned. His eyes were full of…awe?

“Where did you get this creature, lowlander? Or did you enchant it yourself? Only our mightiest augurs know the secrets to such steeds.”

“Oh, er…” I was surprised by his reaction. “The Mages’ Collective found it in the bog. The same one you were in, actually. Luckily, you were in much better shape.”

The bog unicorn came over and made a chuffing noise at me. I gently stroked its wrinkly nose, careful to not knock off any pieces. It rustled with pleasure.

“It’s odd,” I said, grateful to talk about the unicorn to someone who wasn’t instantly repulsed by it. “It was in much worse shape when it got here. Since I started riding it and feeding it what it likes, it’s gotten less…rotten.”

Sky-Watcher nodded wisely. “Such is the nature of the promise-bound steed, Inquisitor. Any augur or mage can animate something that is dead, but the steed is special. It eludes death because of an oath.”

“I don’t remember swearing an oath to it, though. It certainly  _provokes_  a lot of oaths, but most of those are profane,” I sighed. “Which is really a shame because it is quite gentle.”

“No,” Sky-Watcher smiled slightly. “The beast has sworn an oath to you, and it will remain in this world until it fulfills that oath.”

“Oh,” I said, and reached into my pocket and gave the unicorn a quarter slice of a beet.

“What’s that?” Sky-Watcher asked. 

“A…beet,” I said. “It likes them.”

“Interesting,” he replied. “It should be feasting on the flesh of your vanquished foes.”

I cleared my throat. “Don’t say that quite so loud,” I murmured. “People already hate it, and that really doesn’t happen very often. What…what is this oath that you think the bog unicorn has sworn to me?”

Sky-Watcher shrugged. “No way of knowing. It may be powerful magic, but it’s still a rotten horse, Inquisitor.” He nodded at the other horses, who were keeping a very safe distance from us. “Even fresh ones don’t have much to say.”


End file.
